Big Youth (born: Manley Augustus Buchanan) is one of the most
successful of Jamaica's reggae deejays. Well known for the red,
green and gold jewels embedded in his front teeth, Big Youth
is credited for coining the term "natty dread". His
songs, including such hits as "The Killer" and "S.
90 Skank", have been hailed as reflecting "the authentic
sound of the Jamaican ghettos". In a review of his album,
"Manifestation", "CMJ-NMR Report" wrote "always
politically aware, he sings oput about human rights, but, he
also includes some love songs and some science fiction".

The son of a policeman, Big Youth converted to Rastafarianism
in his late-teens. After working as a mechanic for the Skyline
and Sheraton hotels, he launched his musical career as the resident
deejay for the Mightyness Emperor Lord Tippertone Sound System.
Although his earliest records were produced by top-notch reggae
producers including Gregory Isaacs and Jimmy Rodway, he didn't
have his first success until recording "Movie Star"
and "The Black Cinderella" for Errol Drunkley. He achieved
even greater success when he recorded "S.90 Skank', named
after a Japanese motorbike, for producer Keith Hudson in 1972.
The song reached the top slot on the Jamaican music charts and
remained in that position for several weeks. The following year,
Big Youth launched two labels of his own Negusa Nagast and Augustus
Buchanan-as a way to achieve greater financial and creative control.

While his initial recordings used instrumental tracks from
records by such reggae artists as Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown,
Big Youth increasingly used tracks from such non-reggae performers
as Marvin Gaye and Ray Charles. -- Craig Harris, All Music Guide